Stevens Capital Management LP Takes $849,000 Position in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new stake in STERIS plc (NYSE:STE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,863 shares of the medical equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $849,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in STERIS in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in STERIS during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. 94.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on STE shares. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet raised shares of STERIS from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, April 12th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of STERIS in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of STERIS in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, STERIS currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $239.60.

STERIS Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:STE traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $201.54. 411,721 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 463,475. STERIS plc has a 52 week low of $180.54 and a 52 week high of $254.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.43. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $222.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $217.06. The company has a market cap of $19.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11 and a beta of 0.79.

STERIS (NYSE:STE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The medical equipment provider reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.17 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. STERIS had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 13.67%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that STERIS plc will post 8.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

STERIS Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. STERIS's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.43%.

STERIS Company Profile

STERIS plc provides infection prevention products and services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Healthcare, Applied Sterilization Technologies, Life Sciences, and Dental. The Healthcare segment offers cleaning chemistries and sterility assurance products; automated endoscope reprocessing system and tracking products; endoscopy accessories, washers, sterilizers, and other pieces of capital equipment for the operation of a sterile processing department; and equipment used directly in the operating room, including surgical tables, lights, and connectivity solutions, as well as equipment management services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.